Jak and Daxter: Murder by Numbers
by Clouds on Monday
Summary: The heroic duo has left the city walls of Haven City for a mission to the capital of a country beyond the wastelands. This city is called Albyra, where assassins roam. Jak is assigned to hunt down these assassins, before they assassinate him.
1. Chapter 1

**Jak and Daxter: Murder by Numbers**

_The heroic duo has left the city walls of Haven City for a mission to the capital of a strange country beyond the wastelands. This city is called Albyra, the capital of assassins. Whoa boy, are they in for a ride!_

**Hello! Yup, my first Jak and Daxter fan fiction. Very excited and I hope you are too. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Criticisms welcome. And suggestions are welcome too. This story is much more open so it is doesn't have a strict storyline, which means that ANYTHING can happen :3**

**This is more of a casual fic, because I have not written a set storyline plan... so remember if you have any ideas or suggestions you can just pop it in a review and then if I like it I'll include it.**

**Best read if you set the page to ½ near the top of the browser. It gives me such a head ache if I read a story on my wide screen 0.0**

**So, let's get this party STARTED!**

**MURDER RADIO: ANOTHER WAY TO DIE – ALICIA KEYS AND JACK WHITE**

Chapter 1

It's funny really. Jak was always on some sort of mission that involved a certain amount of danger. More often than what should be deemed normal, Jak was almost required to kill something... and sometimes it was a 'someone'. He had no problem with it. If they were his enemies, then so be it. He doesn't care. As long as he gets the job done, and that he is killing for a good reason, then Jak doesn't have problem with it at all.

But, Jak has never had a friend killed. No one close to him has died. He doesn't really know what loss is. When his father, Damas, died in his arms he did feel sad. But he didn't know which emotion to feel, happiness for finding his heritage, or upset at the loss of family he has only recently found.

To Jak though this emotion wasn't as strong.

In truth, Jak was fuelled by anger. That was his main motivation in battle. Anger made him stronger.

Though in this battle, his anger was his downfall.

Jak can feel the bullet wound in his chest. Drops of blood seemed like it was suspended in mid air. His clothes ruffled violently against the air, the blinding sun shining on his falling body. He has been falling for a while. Jak was shot, the blast causing him to roll off the highest building ever made.

The descent was so lonely.

He knew full well that as soon as he touched the ground he will never meet his loved ones again.

Never again will he see their smiling faces.

Never again will he touch their skin.

Never again will he hear their voices.

So... this is death...

- - -

_A few weeks before..._

Tess twirled a screw driver in her paws. She stood on her work table; a heavy duty weapon was in front of her. The gun had multiple scratches and dents, and near the barrel there was a dark brown stain which looked suspiciously like blood. Tess inspected it, poking it occasionally with her screw driver. She sighed in frustration, her Ottsel ears drooping slightly into her blonde tresses.

"Well..." Tess mumbled quietly, investigating the gadget in front of her even further. "All I can say is... it's busted."

Tess turned around, tossing her screw driver over her shoulder in defeat. She hopped off her work table and walked over to Jak, whom was standing on the other side of the room. Daxter sat casually on Jak's shoulder, watching Tess progress towards them. Tess climbed onto Jak's other free shoulder, shaking her head in displeasure.

"It's broken. All of my hard work on those upgrades..." Tess began, her voice high pitched and disheartened. "Jak, the gun is completely destroyed! That's the last model I had! I can't fix it without another intact one present for reference! Sig has the only other model but he's on a long term mission elsewhere, and he needs the gun for his mission anyway..."

Jak inwardly sighed to himself, a little embarrassed at the distress he has caused Tess. Daxter scuttled to Jak's other shoulder, giving Tess a pat on the back.

"Don't worry toots," Daxter said reassuringly. "We can buy another one elsewhere. We'll look for another weapon dealer and we'll get two. One for us, and one for you"

Jak rubbed the back of his neck. Daxter doesn't actually know the proper extent of the situation like Tess and Jak does. Previously, the duo went out on a mission to destroy some stray metal heads in the sewer system. The fight was rather hectic and heated, and Jak pushed himself to the limit. Not wanting to succumb to the dark eco which has been bubbling inside him, he focused his energy of strict weapon usage and hand to hand combat. However, his gun couldn't keep up, and the gun was destroyed as a result from the battle. The morph gun is a formidable weapon, and a rare one at that. Finding or building one is incredibly difficult.

"Dax," Jak sighed. "The morph gun is very rare. We probably have the last one in this city"

"Last one? Well, who makes 'em?" the orange Ottsel cried out. "Tess can't be the only one who makes weapons! Let's just browse other weapon dealers elsewhere for one!"

Jak rolled his eyes. Tess jumped off Jak's shoulder and crossed her arms. "Yes, there are tonnes of other weapon dealers in this city, but as far as I know I am the only who have provided a morph gun. And I only had two, one for Jak and one for Sig." Tess began pacing restlessly. "And even so, I don't make them! I buy the standard model elsewhere and it gets delivered to me! All I can do for it is upgrading it!"

Tess threw her arms up in frustration before scuttling back to her worktable. She opened up a cabinet next to the table, browsing through the files that are inside. With a small cheer in exclamation Tess withdrew a sheet of paper before closing the cabinet. She held the paper up to Jak, who received it with thanks. Daxter peered over Jak's shoulder to read the paper.

"That's the place I get it delivered from." Tess pointed out, sitting on her toolbox. "It's in another country, so it takes a while to get it delivered. Not only is the distance a little tedious, but the security is ten times better than here in Haven City. It's like a huge detention centre... only nicer"

"You have been there before?" Jak asked. Daxter was nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, only once though" she said dryly. "I was younger then, and I travelled with my dad. He learned a lot about weapons there, and he passed that knowledge to me. The place is constantly at war with other cities though, but the weapons there... Wow!"

Tess cocked her head to the side, a smile on her face. "Gosh... technology there is pretty amazing..." she mumbled dreamily. There was a pause in the room before Keira entered the room, a little flustered and out of breath.

"Hey babe," Daxter perked. "What's the rush?"

Keira shook her head before she sat down. She paused in rest before she spoke. "Nothing, just that Torn wants you. Says that he has a mission for you"

Jak perked up, his expression tugged out a smirk. "A mission?" he said, amused. "Man, I haven't been on a mission in a long time. Just when I thought I can relax"

"Wonder what the tattooed wonder wants..." Daxter piped.

Jak and Daxter said their goodbyes before they both darted towards Torn's new home. With the corruption and metal head conflicts in a staggering decline, along with the council of Haven City replaced with more politically professed individuals, the Underground no longer need to be in secret. Haven City is finally breaking out of its dystopian nature, with thanks to part of Jak and Daxter's heroic doing. All that is left to fight in the newly rebuilt city is the occasional metal head invasion, which didn't really happen very often.

"Torn?" Daxter called as they entered a building. It was clean, fresh, and exactly like the old headquarters but the technology updated. "Torn? Ya in here, buddy?"

A grunt echoed in reply. Torn walked in, Ashelin at his side. Saying their usual greetings, they sat down at the far end of the room. It was a new addition to the place, and it was mostly Daxter's idea to have a reclining area. Daxter calls it the 'schmooze corner'.

"Keira told me that you have a mission for me?" Jak enquired, resting his feet on a foot stool nearby. Torn nodded in reply.

"We need you to deliver some documents to a few clients of ours" Torn said, his voice impossibly hoarse and gruff. "During our secrecy in the underground, these clients often helped us with weapons when we needed help"

Ashelin crossed her legs as she reclined further into her chair. "And now, we are going to return the favour" she added. "I also heard that your supply of weapons has depleted. Perhaps during your stay you get yourself some new toys. The place that we are sending you is capital for weaponry and technology"

Jak and Daxter like the sound of this. Adventures? Toys? Boy, are they in!

"Mission accepted, sir!" Daxter cheered. His right arm was held up in a salute. "Daxter and side kick Jak are ready for action!"

- - -

"See ya, Jak" Keira said, giving him a small peck on the lips. She patted on Daxter's head before returning to her father's side. Samos waved goodbye, Tess also waving goodbye as she sat on the log on top of Samos's head. Jak walked in his small air ship, starting the engine.

"Hope the mission goes well," Ashelin said over the roar of the engine. "Good luck!"

The air ship rose up into the sky, disappearing beyond the clouds. Daxter typed up some co-ordinates into the control system while Jak set the ship on auto pilot. The ship navigated on its own, the steering wheel moving on its own accord. Jak sighed as he reclined into his seat, closing his eyes in rest.

"Well, Jak" Daxter piped as he too reclined into his seat. "We have over six hours to kill, what shall we do now?"

Jak shrugged, his eyes still closed. Daxter carried on talking. "Ya know, Jak, will we ever get a break from adventure? We are always being sent here and there to do other peoples deeds. I mean, aren't we always on some mission to save the town, or city, or world?"

Daxter looked over to Jak, who was silent as he rested. "Well... not too much saving the world... whoa, boy... it was a close one when we got poisoned by Krew's hot chick of a daughter... even if she turned out kinda evil... I mean, that mission was more of a 'save ya friends' instead of a 'save the world' jig... ya get me Jak?"

Jak stayed silent, his breathing more relaxed and deep. Daxter rolled his eyes. "Dude! You're sleeping on me!" the Ottsel muttered as he crossed his arms. "Pah, might as well... A certain Ottsel needs his beauty sleep too... this image ain't easy to keep up"

- - -

Many hours later, Jak and Daxter was woken up by the sound of beeping in the air carrier. The control system was flashing, indicating they are nearby to their destination. Jak yawned as he sat up in his chair, taking full control of the air ship.

"Well, Dax" Jak said quietly, a little groggy from his disturbed sleep. "We are nearly there. I think I can see it from here"

Daxter jumped out of his seat and sat himself on the dashboard, his face pressed against the window. Daxter gasped at the sight. It was sunset, and the setting orb cast an orange glow over the large mountain ahead of them. The mountain looked like an island, isolated by the sea of swirling clouds surrounding it. Lights of numerous colours were flashing from it, some were stationary, and some were blinking as they seem to fly around the mountain. As they flew closer, and with much closer inspection, the mountain turned out to not be a mountain after all. It was a huge and complicated network of sky scrapers, the concentrated mass of buildings poking above the clouds. From the highest building there was a lantern, a bright blue light shining against the blood red sky. The light rotated around the City like a light house at sea.

"Wow..." Daxter cooed in awe, his jaw open and his eyes were wide. "Will ya look at that...?"

Two flying airships darted forwards towards them. It alarmed Jak slightly as they both flanked Jak's airship, one on his left and one on his right. The radio started to crackle slightly before a voice clearly called out from Jak's intercom.

"Identification please" the voice crackled. It was male, slightly gruff, and possessed a British accent. Daxter fished out a green computer chip from a compartment underneath his chair. He plugged it into the control system, a few lights flashing green before beeping. A small screen next to the plug read out the words 'identification complete'.

"Thank you, Jak and Daxter," the voice said, though this time less gruff. "Due to security precautions we will escort you to the landing strip. Please co-operate accordingly. Welcome to Albyra, capital city of Great Tribian. We hope your journey was well, and we hope you will enjoy your stay here"

Daxter snorted as he crossed his arms. "I think they're going a little OTT on the strict department, if ya get what I'm saying Jakie boy" the Ottsel remarked, rolling his eyes as he adjusted his pants.

"Yeah, Tess did say that this city is overly firm a few days ago" Jak said, eyeing the airship on his left. The flanking carrier was much different to Jak's own. Jak had a standard model. It was modest, a little small and slightly chunky. It used to belong to the Underground, but Torn had given it to Jak so he can visit Spargus from Haven City without hindrance. The two air ships on either side of Jak's own however were a little bigger. Their sleek and shiny chassis were coated in jet black paint with red block numbers on the wings. The cockpit windows were blacked out, so neither Jak nor Daxter could see who is piloting the carrier. Daxter could only see the reflection of their own royal blue air ship, which was reflected on the polished surface of the cockpit. There is no denying it, those two air carriers next to them were proper fighter planes. This city isn't joking around, that's for sure.

Once landed on the air strip, and with the air carrier taken away by a security guard to park it elsewhere, Jak and Daxter set foot on Albyra for the first time. Daxter started shivering from the cold. The airstrip was situated on top of a large skyscraper, so they were still above the clouds. The setting sun was near to disappearing behind the horizon, only a sliver of pink light remained before the night can cast its shadow over the city. The wind was unforgiving and icy, yet welcoming and refreshing at the same time. The air is much cleaner here than in Haven city, and ten times better to breathe in than the air in the wastelands. A smile tugged on Jak's lips as he viewed the city below him. Towers and tall buildings were poking out of the clouds; the very tallest of the structures were concentrated in a mountainous mass.

"Please step this way" a rather tall woman said, her British accent was far more upper class than the voices they heard from the neighbouring carrier pilots. She had dark brown hair, held up in a rather neat fashion, which matched her office style suit quite nicely. "We have rather tight security and surveillance in the city, so it is a standard precaution for foreign new comers to be searched."

Daxter's ears suddenly perked as he stood straighter on Jak's shoulder. "Ooh, baby! You can search me anytime! Rawr!"

The woman turned around to face Daxter, her eyes slightly wide in disturbance. "Excuse me?" she said, her voice a little low pitched and threatening. She narrowed her eyes at the orange rodent, shaking her head slightly. "Additionally, here in this city we possess something you may have not come across before. Here, we call it 'manners'. But very well, since you are so keen to being searched, then so be it"

Jak gave a small groan as he slapped his forehead in embarrassment. Suddenly his left shoulder became lighter, a yell in protest resounded soon afterwards.

"Hey! Who's touching me? No toucha the gear!" yelled Daxter, who flailed about as he was held up by his tail. A large, bald and muscled guard was holding him up with one hand whilst the other was scanning him with a rather strange looking contraption. "No one, and I mean NO ONE, treats Orange Lightning in such a way! Why I oughta!"

Jak shook his head at Daxter, whom were still being searched and handled quite erratically and roughly. Jak suddenly felt both of his arms being lifted from his sides to be held out in a 'T' fashion. He quickly became startled when warm hands started sliding up and down his back and shoulders before spreading out to his arms. The woman moved to Jak's front to start to inspect the top on his chest.

"Empty your pockets" she instructed as a security guard approached them with a small basket. "Pop them in here"

"HEY!" Daxter protested. "Why does Jak get frisked by Lady Luscious while I get manhandled like friggin' play dough?"

Jak shrugged as he placed a few things from his pockets into the basket provided. The tall woman carried on frisking Jak's body before standing up and walking away. "They're clean. Scan their luggage before they proceed to the arrival's terminal" she instructed to the guards. The guard immediately dropped Daxter, who fell to the ground roughly. Daxter shook his fist irritably at guard, cursing a few obscenities at him before scrambling back on top of Jak's shoulder.

"Damn you Jak" he said, his tail bumping purposefully on the back of Jak's neck. "Why do you always get the chicks?"

A guard suddenly ran towards the woman. He wore a different uniform to the ones that have been escorting them. This one wore all black. His heavy duty boots and body guards had small protective metal plates on them. He also wore a helmet; his visor was pulled down to hide his face. On his back, however, looked like a morph gun, only smaller and sleeker than the one Jak previously had owned. Even though this model was smaller, it was slightly unnerving to look at due to its intricacy. It looked more dangerous and intimidating.

"There has been another hit" he informed the woman. She suddenly looked alarmed as she faced the new coming guard.

"Who?" was her initial response.

"Another councillor, including his assistant" he replied. "It appears a civilian was also killed. We think that the unfortunate victim saw the hit man"

Distressed and slightly panicked, she ran with the security guard, taking off her high heels just so she could gain more speed. Jak and Daxter watched her disappear into the building below before looking back at each other.

"What was that all about?" Jak asked. Daxter shrugged his shoulders in reply.

- - -

It took another two hours before they could finally go to the arrivals terminal. A large backpack was slung over Jak's shoulder; a hand held suitcase was in his hand, while Daxter was clinging sleepily on top of the backpack. He walked down the terminal, trying to avoid the jostle of people around him.

"Torn said that someone will greet us here" Jak informed the Ottsel, who yawned in reply. "Keep a lookout for him"

"Sure, buddy" Daxter yawned. "Will do"

As Jak walked on he could help but notice the people around him. Here and there people were greeting each other with hugs, kisses, handshakes and small embraces. He searched his memory for times when people have greeted him like so. Well... there was that time when Daxter rescued him from the dark eco lab in the prison of Haven City. Although the greetings weren't that warm, as the greeting he gave to Daxter was more of a declaration of revenge to Praxis. Or perhaps when he first met Keira after their two year separation... but he wasn't greeted in such a warm fashion either. He was more or less shrugged off by her, not really acknowledging the change that has happened to Jak during those two years.

However, there was that time when he and Daxter defeated Errol and his large robotic ship in a rather hefty battle. When he returned to meet Ashelin, Ashelin greeted him with a small kiss. Jak internally smiled. Man, wasn't his first kiss a little too hard to come by...

"Hey, Jak!" Daxter piped up, his orange hand point ahead of him. "I think I see 'em"

Jak looked in advance. There was another woman holding up a sign. The sign read out 'Jak Mar and Daxter' in black, bold letters. She had her light brown hair in a simple ponytail. She also wore a large and heavy brown coat, slightly damp on top with dark wet patches on her shoulders. Jak walked over to her. She sighed in relief at his approach.

"My gosh..." she said. Her words were slurred in a flabbergasted sort of manner. "I thought I was going to miss you! I had to go and pick up my daughter from school and the traffic... my god the traffic... My name is Sian by the way"

Jak and Daxter smiled at her as she beckoned them to follow her. She grabbed the suitcase that Jak was holding to relieve him from some weight. It was quite hard to keep up with her in the crowding mass of people, but once they cleared the crowd they soon found themselves in a rather large hall. Numerous hallways littered across the walls of the massive room, and as soon as they entered the hall the lady slowed down to a casual stroll. She looked towards the two, inspecting the two with her brown eyes, trying to memorise their features.

"Welcome to Albyra... is this the first time you have visited?" she asked, wiping rainwater from her pale skin.

"Yeah, first time" Jak replied, a little shocked at how pristine the place was.

"Ooh, you're from Haven City!" she said rather excitedly. "I can tell from you accent. My daughter is going to love you! She loves US accents like yours"

Daxter looked at her with chagrin. "You have a daughter? You married then, huh?" he said. Though to Daxter surprise she shook her head in disagreement.

"Well... I was married..." she replied casually. "I'm actually a widow. My daughter has just turned five years old. Her name is Nelly"

Sian veered off in a sharp right, towards a hallway with a sign marked 'EXIT' arching above it. Jak followed her, his pace quickening to catch up to her due to her sudden progression. She took a chip out of her pocket, fumbling with it slightly with her hand. She looked over her shoulder at Jak.

"Love, you're going to need to get your I.D chip, we're about to leave the building" she advised, waving her own chip in example. At the end of the hallway there were some additional security guards. Some were holding scanners, some were holding weapons. Sian plugged in her chip to one of the guards scanners. Two beeps indicated that her chip was scanned. Satisfied, she pulled hers out again before placing it back in her pocket. Jak and Daxter did the same with their own chips before following Sian once again.

"Did you bring an umbrella, love?" she asked them. "I live below cloud line, so it rains a lot down there"

Jak and Daxter shook their heads. Sian laughed.

"Don't worry, I haven't brought one with me either" she laughed to herself once more. "You don't mind running to my transport, do you?"

- - -

Jak finally got the chance to properly lie down to rest. Daxter was already fast asleep on his own bed on the other side of the room. Sian happens to be associated with Torn. Her husband used to provide the Underground with weapons and supplies when they were low on resources. Come to think of it, she never mentioned how he died.

Sian was kind enough to provide a room with an en suit bathroom in her duplex apartment. They had to enter the house quietly though as her daughter, Nelly, was fast asleep. Jak looked outside the window. All he could see were the monotonous grey mist outside from the clouds, rain drops were splattered across the window pane. He could see the occasional dim light glowing through the thick haze, hovering mysteriously before disappearing back into the misty abyss.

Jak closed his eyes as he started to succumb to sleep. It has been a long day, and he needed rest. Though there has been one thought that is stuck in his mind...

"_There has been another hit"_

"_Who?"_

"_A councillor, including his assistant"_

- - -

**There, finally edited it. Hope you enjoyed it so far!**

**Anyway, tell me what you think so far in a review! Oh yeah... first chapter... hmm...**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Bleh... I'm so knackered... I don't know why but I usually don't write my fic late into the night. Maybe it is because of all the ideas that keep on popping my head... D: wow... that is dedication ahahaha XD this isn't good for my insomnia!**

**MURDER RADIO: ALCORUS - SHINE**

Chapter 2

"Wake up, princess!"

The voice echoed around in his head. The annoying tone from his voice resonated within his ear, triggering a small headache. Jak opened his eyes; his sight was greeted by Daxter's fuzzy mug inches away from his own. "Rise and shine!" Daxter added, giving him a big grin.

Jak sighed, pushing the Ottsel off him gently as he sat up from his bed. He looked at the time from a bedside clock. It was seven in the morning, but to Jak it feels like he has just woken up at midnight. Jak never experience jetlag before, mainly because this was the furthest he has ever travelled.

Not counting time travel... For obvious reasons.

Daxter, due to his regularly erratic sleeping patterns, did not feel any jetlag. He awoke like a freshly new born baby in contrast to Jak's groggy stirring. Jak stood up, stroking his jaw as he walked into the bathroom.

"Hey Jak!" called Daxter. "Meet'cha in the kitchen!"

Jak grunted in reply. He heard the patter on feet exit from the bedroom as he proceeded elsewhere of Sian's apartment. Jak closed the bathroom door before he turned around and leant his back on it, his eyes closed with fatigue. He breathed in, smelling a mixture between bleach and bath salts in the air. Jak stood up straighter before he stretched out his aching limbs. The bathroom was cold, the marble tiles and surfaces sapping up the warmth from his skin every time he touched it. It was quite a nice bathroom, and most certainly the nicest room he has ever been in. Everything was white, save for the silver taps and occasional splash of colour form the odd toiletries that was scattered elsewhere. This room was obviously made for a couple due to its 'his and her' layout. There were two sinks in front of the large, polished mirror, and there were also two toilets.

Jak stood in front of the oversized mirror, resting his hands on the sides of a sink to rest. He inspected his features closely. His blue eyes were darker, now more of a deep sapphire than the aqua shade he used to remember from his early youth. His hair was still cropped in the same fashion when he won the combat racing championships in Kras City. His face was starting to show the wear and tear of his adventures. He looked tired with dark circles forming around his eyes, and his brows seemed to be permanently set into this frown. Jak has barely reached twenty years old, but already the strain of his adventures are starting to show on this youth's face.

Jak sighed, muttering to himself about how cold he was, before he carried on with his morning routine.

- - -

"Morning Jak" Sian greeted as soon as Jak had entered the living room. She was juggling with a range of objects which crammed up in her arms, ranging from her I.D chip, documents and lunch bag. "I made breakfast. I hope you don't mind a morning fry up. It's in the kitchen"

Sian walked away quickly, placing all sorts of contents in a handbag on the living room coffee table. The living room, like the bathroom, was mostly white and pristine. It also had that faint scent of lavender, bar the bleach, but Jak could also smell toast and fried egg. He walked into the kitchen where he saw Daxter, shovelling the array of food into his mouth.

"So Jak" Daxter started, though his speech was slightly muffled as he spoke with his mouth full. "What'sa program?"

Jak sat down, placing a piece of toast onto his plate. "We're gonna go with Sian to her work first" Jak yawned. "Sort out some documents with her, and then she's going to take us to the city council office. Torn said that we are to do the jobs that they give us"

Daxter munched on his food heartily, drinking a glass of orange juice as soon as he swallowed. The kitchen door suddenly burst open as a small girl came running inside. She wore a rather cute school uniform, which consisted of black trousers and a red jumper over her pink polo shirt. The jumper had a small yellow insignia of the school shield embroidered on the thick fabric. Her black ringlets bounced as she ran towards the silver fridge, opening it to retrieve a small yoghurt pot inside. She was about to run back out until she caught sight of Jak and Daxter, halting in her tracks.

"Hi there, princess" Daxter piped as he poured himself another glass of orange juice. The girl suddenly began to smile, fiddling at her yoghurt pot shyly. "What's your name?"

"Nelly..." she said, a small giggle escaped from her smiling mouth. "What are your names?

"You can call me Daxter, Nelly" the Ottsel said between sips of his beverage. "And that's Jak. Nice to meet you, princess!"

Nelly giggled again, instantly taking a liking towards the orange fuzz ball. "How old are you, Daxter?" she asked, becoming curious at the new lodgers of their house.

"Old enough, sweet cheek" Daxter winked.

Nelly held out her hand, sticking three fingers up. "I'm five!" she proudly declared, oblivious to the numerical mistake she made with her digits on her hands. Jak couldn't help but let a small laugh escape. This little girl was so cute.

"H-how old are you?" she asked Jak, her face screwed up slightly as she tried to remember his name again.

"Twenty" he replied simply before he took a bite out of his toast, watching the little girl in amusement.

"Oh..." she cooed, her eyes opened up a little wider. "You're older than mummy!"

Sian walked into the kitchen, a little flustered as she had been rushing around the house hectically. Her brown hair was sorted out into an office style bun. She wore a tailored office suit, her high heels clicking against the marbled floor. Nelly walked over to her mother, holding up her yoghurt pot so Sian could open it up for her. Daxter watched the woman walking around. She looked prim, proper, professional and mature. No way could this lady be younger than Jak!

Another thing puzzled Daxter. If what Nelly had said were true, with Nelly freshly turning five years old, then Sian had to at most be fifteen years old to have given birth to Nelly. A little young to have a kid, no?

The doorbell rang, and Sian disappeared once again as she rushed off to answer the door. Nelly ran after her mother, strawberry yoghurt smudged across her face. Jak and Daxter stood up, about to put the plates away until someone else walked into the kitchen. Daxter raised a fuzzy eyebrow at the amount of activity one can have in the morning.

"No, no, no," said the old woman, her accent thick, but remaining British. "Love, leave it there. I'll clear it up, dun worreh..."

The old woman was incredibly pale, like she hasn't seen the sun years. Her hair is completely grey, and she had a slight limp as she walked. Her short stature could barely reach Jak's midriff. Sian re-entered the kitchen, watching the two males as they left the plates as they were, leaving the housemaid to clear it up.

"Thanks, Doreen" Sian said before she beckoned the duo to follow her. They soon found themselves back into the immaculate living room as Sian gathered the rest of her stuff. Sian gave a small hug to Nelly before she went towards the front door, Jak and Daxter behind her.

"Bye Daxter" Nelly said, waving goodbye to the Ottsel on Jak's shoulder. Daxter gave a wink in reply to the little girl before they disappeared through the front door.

- - -

Jak couldn't really believe it. With most of the clouds gone, Jak can finally see the view of the City. The very tallest of the sky scrapers were covered in polished glass, and it was quite difficult to see them as it was almost invisible, the glass mirroring the blue sky. As he looked down, he noticed that the city's foundation were that of a massive granite mountain. A few airborne transportation darted between buildings, but most of them stayed in line on the streets.

The streets were, once again, immaculate. He strained his eyes in order to hunt for any piece of litter or graffiti, but his task was negative to such findings. The people were also different than to what he is used to back at Haven City. Everyone seemed to be in a rush, walking swiftly towards their destination, their perfectly ironed and spotless clothes ruffling in the cold, but fresh, wind. Everything about this place is so... clean...

It was perfect.

Jak and Daxter felt slightly out of place in this city. They were more rugged, rough, torn at the edges, whilst this city was smooth, uncontaminated and with a clean cut. If only the rest of the world was like that.

Sian also possessed a type of transport which he has never seen before. It was like a car, sleek and shiny, but it encased the passenger seats, unlike Jak's open top 'tough puppy'. It also had no wheels as it hovers above the ground. Inside there were four seats, two in the front and two at the back. Once Jak and Daxter entered inside and sat on the leather seats Sian sat in front of the steering wheel. She placed her I.D chip into another plug beneath her seat, motioning the other two to do so with theirs.

"What is up with the overuse of these chips, anyway?" Daxter grumbled as he struggled to reach the plug due to his short arms.

"It's part of the security monitoring system" she replied, taking out a small compact mirror and lipstick from her hand bag. "So that the authorities know exactly where everyone is, and should be. It's been pretty useful. Criminals are caught much quicker and easier in this town."

"What happens if ya don't use your I.D chip?"

"Then you can't get anywhere in the city. The chip is like a key. If you don't have it, then you can't get anywhere. You get locked in place. You can't use other people's chips anyway, because it also has a DNA system. Through each corridor in a building there is an invisible force field. If a DNA subject passes through the shield and doesn't match the DNA description on the chip you used, then the corridor you are in will get locked down. The guards will come in and question you, and depending on the area you are locked down in, say a bank for example, then there is that chance you are going to get shot on the spot too"

Daxter looked at her with wide eyes. He quickly jammed his chip in the plug. As he did so the vehicle came to life. It hovered higher in the air, and Jak could suddenly hear the engine purr a low hum. As soon as Sian applied her lipstick she took hold of the steering wheel and drove to her workplace. She worked above the cloud line, and bright sun was almost blinding as it kept on reflecting on the clean and polished surroundings. It was also much colder, and Jak wished that he had brought a jacket with him. Daxter wished that he wished more from the precursors than just a pair of pants.

They walked inside a building. It was covered in mirror like glass, well cleaned and well polished. Inside it was full of office women, typing or sorting out files at their desks. A few of the ladies looked at Jak, his looks catching their eye. That's another thing that had hit Jak about this city, the amount of women present and lack of men around.

Sian beckoned the two to follow her down a corridor.

"As you may know, I am head of the armoury in this business. I inherited this role from my late husband, and I'm still trying to get used to the demands of this job" she sighed as she place her I.D chip in one of the numerous scanners scattered around.

They all soon found themselves in an elevator. The walls were covered in mirrors, and the metal elevator buttons protruded out of the glass surface. She pressed one and the elevator began to move up. Sian then faced the wall to their left.

Jak and Daxter did not notice this at first, but one of the walls was a window instead of a mirror. They peered out in awe as they looked out into city landscape as they rose higher and higher up the building. Daxter was so distracted from the view that he didn't notice the elevator had stopped until Jak walked out of the glassy room. There was a long corridor ahead of them, and at the end there was a scanner and a heavy duty door.

Plugging their I.D chips, the door opened, revealing a room brightly lit up in flickering lights. They all walked inside. Jak followed Sian as she walked towards a fridge like cabinet. She swiped a security card on the door. A beep resounded, followed by a loud click as the door unlocked. Sian opened the cabinet and pulled out a large and heavy case. She passed it to Jak, instructing him to open it.

Jak's eyes opened, his smile twisted into an amused smirk, as he inspected the contents of the case. Inside there was a state of the art gun, complete with upgrades and gizmo's that Jak himself didn't know what they were for. His old gun, which he had considered as a good and reliable weapon, suddenly looked like a metallic mess compared to the one in front of him. It was quite beautiful, with its intricate surface well polished so that the black weapon had this undeniably gorgeous sheen. Jak made a low whistle as he closed the case, not wanting any dust to get inside.

"I'm giving you that model for free. You'll need it for your job here" Sian said, happy by Jak's first reaction towards it. "That model is the best of all the hand held weapons ever made. Only the Special Forces have that. Be careful though, it's got quite a big kick"

- - -

Jak strapped the case to his back as he walked to the Councillor Tower block. He was happy about his toy, and he couldn't wait to use it. The Councillor Tower block also happened to be the highest of the sky scrapers, and on top it was the revolving light beacon which he had spotted last night.

"Welcome, Jak and Daxter" said an old man as they were allowed inside. They were taken inside a small conference room, documents and folders in front of the six or seven people that sat on the long table. Jak took his seat next to a dark skinned man.

"Jak, we have been troubled by a menace in this city" said a woman at the far end of the table, whom he soon recognised at the lady that searched him back at the airport. "As you may have known, one of our dear friends has been assassinated yesterday. We have the whereabouts of some of the hit men, but our security and police force couldn't catch them. We heard from Haven City that you are an incredibly talented soldier, and we require your help"

"Yes" an old man agreed, who had sat in front of the duo. "But it is imperative that you keep this mission secret. Not all of the assassins have been identified either, and it is your job to capture, or kill, all of them."

"You must not mention or discuss the nature of this mission, so as a disguise you must say that you are helping with hunting criminals" the lady carried on. "Though in part that is true, but the nature of the criminals you hunt must be kept in secret"

A personal assistant walked in and placed a black folder in front of Jak. Daxter jumped onto the table from Jak's shoulder, flipping through the documents and files in front of them.

"We have assigned a free weapon, and you may keep it as a reward for eliminating the assassins once your mission is complete" She said. "You may leave now. Please spend the rest of the day inspecting the documents. Your mission officially starts tomorrow"

Jak and Daxter left the building, noticing an arrangement of bouquets and flower wreathes outside of the sky scraper. He walked towards it, looking at a few R.I.P cards and photographs for the people that were assassinated yesterday.

Catch the assassins, or be assassinated. Whoa boy... this new adventure is gonna be a hectic ride all right...

- - -

**Wahey! Now we are getting somewhere! I'm actually having fun writing this story! It's really inspiring! And yeah, you can tell that there are numerous Mirrors Edge references towards the city environment. I always imagined a high tech city to be sterile like the Mirrors Edge world. To place Jak in such a contrasting environment kinda makes me want to explore Jak's character a little more :D**

**Anyway, tell me what you think of this fic so far in a review! Remember, I am open to suggestions! **

**Hope you enjoy this fic so far!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**ARGH! I'm being serious here! Why can't I just type faster? I have all of these ideas and I can't type fast enough to put them down! It's really frustrating! GAH! Well, hope you aren't scared by my mini rant... D:**

**It's also kinda hard to write, since English isn't my first language... Hmmm... hindi ko alam...**

**Anyway! Hope you enjoy this fic :D**

**MURDER RADIO: GORILLAZ – FEEL GOOD INC.**

Chapter 3

Jak followed the counsellor's advice and read over all of the documents. Daxter didn't bother reading the files with Jak, but instead he bought a map of the city and tried memorising the layout. Daxter knew that this would be helpful for Jak to have a personal navigator.

Jak was slightly puzzled as to the hit men's identity. They all mostly wore masks, shown in some of the photographs, which looked as if it was made in silver metal. There were two narrow slits for the eyes, wide enough for them to see, but narrow enough for the outside world to unable to identify. These people wore incredibly casual clothing, ranging from white cargo shorts, simple sport tank tops, sleeveless hoodies and khaki shorts. There were only three of the seven assassins that were identified; the other four remained as an enigma.

Of the three whose identity was discovered, one was female. It wasn't the gender that shocked Jak about this individual, however it was her age.

"Thirteen..." Jak muttered, rubbing his temples. "That can't be right..."

The other two were men in their mid-thirties. To Jak, that would be normal. The thirteen year old girl was more of a shock to Jak. This girl has barely grown out of childhood, if she even had one. _No,_ he thought. _A thirteen year old girl working as an assassin... There has to be some kind of mistake..._

There was a knock on the bedroom door of Sian's apartment. Jak hastily slammed the document folder closed, startling Daxter a little. The young man shoved the black folder under his bed, away from sight, before quickly running towards the door to open it.

"Hi" Jak said, a little flustered as he opened the door to greet Sian. Sian looked like she was little exhausted, her brows wrinkled together as she tried to ignore the huge headache she was bearing. "Are you okay?"

Sian shook her head, her brown hair was starting become loose from her bun as she moved. "Terrible..." she sighed, stroking the back of her neck in comfort. "Work has been hectic at the office all day after you left. You know how some single women are like... Anyway, I'm about to cook dinner. What would you like, beef or pork for you steak fry?"

"I... uhh... Beef please" Jak turned around. "What you want, Dax?"

"Beef for the stud, thanks" Daxter piped up from the background, folding up the map of the city as he said so.

Sian nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay..." she turned around, disappearing into the hallway, mumbling to herself. Jak could hear the doorbell ring, followed by a call from Nelly saying that she will answer it. He reclined back into the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.

"God, she looks a little worse for wear" Daxter exclaimed as he clambered back on Jak's shoulder. He looked at the time with melancholic eyes. It had just turned six in the evening. "Remind me to never work in an office..."

Jak was about to reach for the folder under his bed again until he heard glasses shattering, followed by shouts of protest. They could hear pattering feet approach their room, so instead Jak pushed the folder further under his bed before standing up. He brushed off his knees with non-existent dust as Nelly burst into their room. She looked scared as she clutched hold of her plush toy in comfort.

"Mummy is shouting again" Nelly said, her voice high pitched and distressed. "Make them stop yelling..."

Daxter stayed with Nelly, comforting her as Jak decided to go and investigate. He walked out of the bedroom slowly, into the hallway and gradually into the living room. Jak peered into the hallways which lead to the lounge, where he could see Sian arguing with a man, whom he was unsure of who he is.

"Lucas, I can't deal with this anymore!" she said, her tone vitriolic. "It feels like I am doing all of the work! I am trying to make this work, Lucas. I am trying _hard!_"

Lucas leaned to one side, his arms crossed in anger. He was tall, good looking and freshly shaven. He also wore a rather smart suit, black as his hair. His skin tone was almost as pale as his white shirt underneath.

"Sian, you make it out as if I'm doing nothing" he said, his voice low and smooth. "I've been working hard too. I buy you gifts, I've been taking you out, and I even pay the babysitter to look after Nelly while we are gone!"

Sian threw a vase at him, whom had narrowly ducked to avoid being hit. It smashed noisily against the wall.

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME!" she cried, shouting at the top of her voice. She closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "I-it's not about me, Lucas. It's about your attitude to Nelly! All your efforts are going toward keeping Nelly separate from us! I've been trying hard to build bonds for ALL of us! And here you are, trying to break her away from us, ruining all of my hard work!"

"Why are you so troubled over Nelly?" he scoffed.

"Because she needs a father figure!"

"What? So, you're using me? You're just staying with me just so the girl has a male prancing about the place?"

"No! It's not like that! Lucas, I care for you! I care for Nelly! And I just want to make everything fit together, so we can all be happy!"

"Happy?" Lucas pointed at Sian threateningly. "I think you mean _fantasy_, Sian! All you are working towards is to keep your fantasy of having a happy family scene alive! Nelly isn't even your _child_!"

Sian paused, taken aback by his crude outburst. "Why..." she suddenly stopped her speech as she noticed her voice became slightly high pitched. Her hand was suddenly raised towards her face as she hastily wiped her eyes. "W-why would you say that, Lucas?"

Jak decided to step in, clearing his throat to make his presence known. Sian and Lucas turned to face Jak, looking at him in surprise. Sian suddenly turned away as she wiped a tear with her palm. Sian returned her weary gaze upon Jak as soon as she stop feeling like crying some more.

"Nelly came into our room" Jak stated as he directed it to Sian. He kept his voice calm and low to try and tone down the mood. "She was frightened when she overheard the both of you"

"Oh no..." Sian gasped as she ran past Jak. Jak stayed in place, not removing his gaze from Lucas.

"Who are you?" Lucas asked crudely, not caring to be polite.

"It doesn't matter" Jak returned, his voice calm and cool. "Those were some pretty harsh words to say to a mother"

Lucas's eyes narrowed. He huffed as he turned around, swiftly walking towards the front door in a rather casual manner. As soon as Jak heard the front door slam shut he advanced back to the bedroom. Sian was carrying Nelly out of the bedroom, proceeding to put a crying Nelly to bed. Sian stopped and turned around to face Jak, mouthing to him '_thank you'_ before she carried on.

- - -

"Left ahead" Daxter commanded to Jak as he ran at full pelt through the city. "Then the tower block should be in front of ya"

Jak pumped his arms harder as he tried to sprint faster, his new gun bouncing against his back. Jak and Daxter had just been in another meeting with the counsellors. There was hardly anyone on the lower streets as it was raining heavily. They were on the lower part of the city underneath the cloud line. It was quite a stark contrast as Jak originally ran from the higher levels of the city where it was unbearably sunny, to running through the foggy clouds until he descended further down to torrential rain on the lower part of the city.

"AND STOP!" Daxter shouted into Jak's ear. Jak skidded to a halt, breathing heavily to regain his energy. "You have reached your destination, thank you for using the Dax-Dax" he added, imitating the mechanical voice of a sat nav.

They both looked up to the building in front of them. It looked like a warehouse of some sort, the content that this building store Jak and Daxter are unsure of. The rain fell heavily on them, making Jak shiver from the cold.

"So this is where she is last seen then" Jak whispered to Daxter. They walked inside through the backdoor with a special kind of I.D chip which the council had supplied to them, granting them access to almost anywhere within the city. They sneaked inside, creeping in between the towers of crates and boxes around them, searching for their target.

It was the thirteen year old assassin that they were looking for.

They both halted as soon as they heard a faint ruffling sound. Jak cautiously retrieved his new gun from his back. If Jak still had his old gun, the weapon would have loaded itself noisily with a series of loud clicks. This gun however was virtually silent, and the only sound it made was an incredibly faint whoosh. Jak instantly loved this gun for being so quiet.

Daxter tapped Jak's shoulder before pointing ahead, grabbing his attention. There was a black blur between narrow gaps in the boxes. It moved slightly, revealing a girls face through the narrow crack. It matched the photo in the files. It was her. They found the girl.

Jak unintentionally shifted a crate next to him, making a small scraping noise. Quiet as it may be, it wasn't quiet enough as the girl heard it. She saw them and instantly ran, knowing that she is being pursued by the duo. Jak was faster though, and he easily caught up. It was hard to grab though as she kept on making sharp turns between the heavy duty crates in an attempt to dodge them. She jumped out of a window suddenly, smashing the window glass and scattering shards everywhere. She stumbled as she landed outside before she steadied her feet and carried on running down an alleyway. Jak wasn't far behind her and ran at full pelt.

"There's a dead end at the end of the alleyway" Daxter informed, holding tightly onto Jak's shoulder to stop him from being flung off. "She'll be trapped, we've caught her Jak!"

As they turned into the alleyway they found her at the end, screaming and swearing as she encountered the wall at the end of the passage. She turned around and looked at Jak in fear. He got ready to grab her as he neared her shaking form. Daxter pulled out a small beacon, pressing the button at the centre to call for the guards to take her away. It started to beep and they both could hear sirens nearing them.

Just as Jak was about to grab her, she did a chimney jump between the walls of the alley. She chimney jumped higher, grabbing hold of a vent cover. Jak looked up in frustration, cursing to himself. He took out his gun and shot the vent cover before she could clamber inside it. She slipped and fell, Jak catching her at the bottom.

"LET GO OF ME!" she screamed, thrashing wildly and throwing a few wild punches at him. Before her fist could land a punch in Jak's face he swiftly caught it, swinging her hand behind her. He grabbed her other arm and brought it to her back, kicking her feet off the floor so that she would trip on the ground. Jak instantly locked her arms behind her, pressing her front to the ground with his weight so she couldn't move.

"Good job Jak! We caught her!" Daxter cheered as a few security guards suddenly came running down the passageway. They took over Jak, handcuffing her and pulling her towards their police vehicle. Jak stood up, slightly winded as he started brushing dirt and dust off him. The rain started to sting a small cut on his wrist where he accidentally brushed his hand on the jagged edges of the window, a wound that he didn't notice having been inflicted during the short chase.

A guard came up to him, his black heavy-duty uniform indicating that he belonged to the Special Forces.

"Well done, Jak" he congratulated, his cockney accent showing through. "Ta for the help, mate. Bloody 'ard to catchin her. Bit slippery and always dodging ya. Ya did it in good time too, mate!"

"A pleasure" Jak said, wiping rainwater away from his eyes.

"HEY!"

Everyone veered round to face the freshly caught prisoner, who sat on the floor lazily, her head suddenly lolling to the side. The guard talking to Jak ran towards the prisoner, shaking her violently. He looked up at the other guards.

"When did she swallow it?" he asked one of the guards that were holding her, opening her mouth to look inside.

"Just a second ago, it was her necklace pendant" he informed him.

They let go of her, letting her limp body fall on the floor, still and unmoving. Jak and Daxter suddenly became alarmed and ran towards her.

"W-what happened? What did you do to her?" Daxter questioned. His voice was panicky.

"We did nothing" the Special Forces guard said, shutting her eyelids with his hand. "She swallowed a suicide pill. These assassins do not want to be questioned, and their motives are kept secret at all costs"

Jak looked down at her, the sudden squeeze in his stomach dawned on him as he realized that this girl is dead. He couldn't believe it, the whole aspect of being an assassin at her age, and dying willingly for her duty.

A guard lifted her up and placed her at the back of the police car. Another guard looked upon her, shaking his head at the youth. It really worried Jak, how anyone would hire a young girl to kill someone. And then order her to kill herself when caught, which was just too much for Jak to handle.

Maybe there was more to this city than Jak had originally thought.

- - -

**Yay! Third chapter! Wow... and it's pretty short... hmm... I better make the next chapter longer to make up for it :D**

**Yes, some action... and drama... finally! Something interesting! Wahey! Anyway, I might write the next chapter now! I'm really excited about this hahahahaha**

**Tell me what you think in a review! They really motivate me to write faster ahahahaaha XD**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Omg... I need sleep hahaha but I don't want to because I WANT TO KEEP WRITING THIS FIC! I'm excited about his ahahahhahaha :D**

**I am sorry if it may seem a little boring, but I like to pump a deeper meaning into stories, like a couple of conspiracies and plot twists and all that jazz... Hmmm... I might add a little more romance. Keira kinda seems a bit forgotten... I'll pay her some attention!**

**Man... I'm running out of ideas to put for this fics radio lol**

**MURDER RADIO: THE CARDIGANS – ERASE AND REWIND**

**SANCTUS NOW – I'M NOT ALRIGHT**

Chapter 4

"That was rather quick Jak, I'm impressed" the woman said as Jak and Daxter returned to the Councillor Conference room. She swept a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She handed over another folder to Jak, though much smaller than the one Jak received two days ago. She also handed him an envelope, along with a medium sized box. Daxter took the envelope, opening it out of curiosity. He slipped out a wad of bank notes, counting the money with glee.

"Wow! Two thousand sans!" Daxter cheered, feeling richer all of a sudden. "Hey Jak, d'ya think we can buy ourselves a decent zoomer with this? Saves us running around"

"Thanks... uhh" Jak paused, trying to remember whether this woman had ever told them her name.

"Alza" she said, shaking his hand. She exited the room, her high heels clicking noisily against the polished granite floor. She beckoned Jak and Daxter to follow. "The Special Forces has detected a sudden rise of the assassination groups' activity around a certain member of our staff. We predict that they will make their move at his birthday party, so we have assigned a body double of him to attend instead. We want you to catch the assassin that will try and kill our body double"

Alza stopped, handing him a small card and another type of I.D chip. "That card is an invitation to the party. There is an evening suit inside the box you are holding. More information about the hit men is inside that folder. Bring someone with you to the party, the invite is for two. It'll help you blend in easier. Keep your motives secret"

Jak began reading the invitation, Daxter peering over his shoulder to do the same.

"Have you ever done undercover work before, Jak?" she asked him. Jak looked up at her, smirking.

"No" he said simply. "But I'll give it a shot"

Alza nodded in approval. She pointed at the invite in his hands. "The party is in two days. You have until then to prepare"

Daxter and Jak looked at each other, a smile stretched across their face.

"To the bar?" they both suggested in unison.

- - -

A flaming shot was in front of them on the counter. Jak slammed his palm over the rim of the shot glass, trapping out any oxygen to douse out the fire. He the downed the shot before ordering another one. He shut his eyes, feeling the stinging sensation as the hot beverage slid down his throat. When he opened his eyes again he found his next shot in front of him, the blue fire burning from the alcoholic fumes. He slammed it and downed it again, like he did with the previous six shots. Daxter looked Jak quizzically.

"Slow down, buddy" the orange Ottsel said as he downed his own shot. "Never seen ya drink that quickly before"

"Yeah, well it's been a long day" he said, looking back at the previous events that had happened today. "Plus, it'll help me to sleep when we get back"

Daxter rolled his eyes at him, suddenly putting his hands on edge of the bar to steady himself. The effects of the alcohol were starting to take its toll on the little Ottsel. Jak downed his one last shot before he could call it a day. He paid the barman for the drinks before he shoved a tipsy Daxter on his shoulder. Daxter started lolling unsteadily, his grip on Jak's shoulder loosening slightly.

"You puke on me, you're dead" Jak informed the Ottsel, whom nodded his head lazily in reply.

"No worries... no worries..." he slurred.

Jak was much steadier on his feet, able to handle his drink better than the average person. He did feel tired though, and he wanted to fall asleep. He walked slowly inside a large tower block where Sian's apartment was. Jak decided to use the elevator, too exhausted to use the stairs. He jabbed a button groggily before he leaned on the walls of the elevator, rubbing his eyes as he waited for the elevator to rise to the one hundred and thirtieth floor.

He was wondering with what to do with the money he has earned. A decent zoomer only costs around six hundred sans. Maybe he should buy Keira a present for when he returns. Jak smiled to himself, thinking of the girlfriend he left behind at home. It puzzled him really. Why a sensible girl like Keira would would fall for such a man like Jak, Jak doesn't know. They were complete opposites, really. Jak loved being on an adventure of any sort, getting a kick of excitement from the thrills of adventure. Keira only went on adventures to hold Jak's attention; she doesn't find any pleasure from the constant rise of adrenaline in her body. Jak never wanted to settle down, his body constantly craved the flow of movement and travel. His fingertips itched for the trigger of his gun as he went into battle.

Keira doesn't want any of that. She wants to reconcile, have a family, live life with no worries...

So, why Jak?

Why Keira?

The elevator door opened, and Jak stepped out into a mesh of hallways, finding his way to Sian's two floored apartment. It was late, probably gone past midnight. He tried to enter inside as quietly as he could, almost tip toeing across the marble floor. He noticed that the lounge was cleaned up from today's incident. Jak wondered if Lucas was Sian's partner or whether she is still with him or not.

"Don't let the bread... get ya... purple grapes..." Daxter slurred as he slipped off Jak's shoulder. Jak caught him before he hit the floor, breathing out a sigh in relief. Daxter had passed out, muttering in his sleep. "Shiny... lipstick bangles... Love you, Tess..."

Jak decided to put Daxter to bed straight away. He felt a little odd as he had to tuck the Ottsel in his bed, something which he has never done before. He shook his head at the drunken Daxter before he went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As he stepped inside the kitchen he jumped when someone was unexpectedly inside the room already. It was Sian. She sat by the kitchen table, her head in her arms. There was an empty wine glass in front of her, her communicator by her hand.

Jak approached her cautiously, wondering if she was asleep. His question was answered as she raised her head, looking at Jak. Her brown hair was loose, hanging off her shoulders lazily. She also wore an oversized men's shirt over her satin pyjama dress.

"Hey..." she mumbled sleepily. "You're up late..."

Jak gave her a small smile before pouring himself a glass of water. "Hey..." he said. He sipped a bit of his cold beverage. "We just came from the bar. You're up late too, you know"

Sian sighed, standing up to put her glass next to the stainless steel sink. "I'm up because I can't sleep" she whispered, ruffling her hair as she stroked her neck. She sat beckoned Jak into the living room, where he followed her without question. "I need to talk to someone before my head explodes..."

Jak sat himself on a sofa opposite Sian. He gulped down the rest of his drink and put the empty glass on the table in front. Sian noticed the cut on his wrist. She took out her handbag from under the table and rummaged inside. Sian pulled out a plaster and sat next to Jak, taking his hand and sticking the plaster in place. She stood up swiftly and returned to her seat. Jak looked at her in puzzlement, raising his brow in question.

"Nelly doesn't like the look of blood..." she said quietly. "She hates blood..."

Jak looked down at his freshly applied band aid before he looked around to see if Nelly was around. It was just the both of them alone in the room. He looked back her as she wrapped the shirt around her more tightly.

"I overheard what Lucas said" Jak started, trying to ease up the silence. Sian looked up.

"What part did you over hear?"

"About you and Nelly"

"Oh..." she sighed, burying her head in her hands. "Yeah... about that..."

Sian breathed in deeply before she looked back at Jak. "Nelly" she sighed. "She isn't my blood child. You see, I married my late husband when I was sixteen. He had a daughter, Nelly. Her blood mother died when she gave birth to her. Even if she wasn't my own child, I loved her like she was my own. She was two when I first met her... She's five now"

Sian swept her hair to one side, clearing her fringe from her face. "My husband, Ethan, he also came from Haven City. He moved here, and we met here. Ethan was charming, smart, loving... When we married, it was like a dream come true, especially that Nelly was now part of me" she sighed. "To have Nelly... I've never been any happier. I'm sterile, so to also have Nelly call me a mother... You just cannot imagine at how blissful we were"

"Ethan was assassinated six months ago" she added. Sian's eyes started to tear up, but she fought it from spilling. "I can't believe he's gone. No one knows why he was hit. He never did anything wrong. I mean, because of him, Albyra and Haven have formed a new allegiance... Why was he killed off?"

A tear slipped, and Sian quickly stood up and wiped it away. "It's late... I'm sorry I kept you up..." she said hastily. "Good night"

Sian walked out of the room, the oversized shirt ruffling as she moved. Jak was left alone, slightly taken aback. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, deciding to go to bed as well. He felt a little sad for Sian, thinking over the impact that these assassins he was hunting are creating. As he yawned he looked behind him, turning off the lights of the living room. Everything was shrouded in darkness, but Jak could still see an after image of Sian sitting on the sofa, wrapping the white shirt around her.

Jak somehow knew that this shirt used to belong to Ethan.

- - -

The next day bore the same weather as the day before. It was raining heavily beneath the cloud line. Jak prepared himself though by wearing a leather jackets and warm combat boots. He wasn't quite waterproof, but at least he was much warmer. Daxter was still exposed to the elements, his hangover not helping his mood as he sat, drenched, on Jak's shoulder.

"Remind me Jak..." a disgruntled Daxter asked, his face twisted into a grumpy scowl. "Why are we here?"

Jak remained silent as he carried on running, descending further down into the lower parts of the city. The buildings were not as sophisticated as the ones higher up, but nevertheless it was still more modern than the ones back at Haven City. Jak veered into a sheltered bench where he pulled out a piece of paper sent urgently from the council, showing details of where an assassin was last spotted. This hit man was one of the unidentified, so they had to keep a lookout for the trademark mask they wore. Jak re-read the piece of paper, making sure that they were at the right place.

"Oh God..." Daxter clutched his head, trying to fight back his migraine. "I'm gonna hurl at this rate..."

"Please don't" Jak commented as he looked at the ill Ottsel on his shoulder. "Just hang on a little longer"

"Five minutes..." Daxter said, holding up his hand. "In five minutes... THEN I'm gonna hurl..."

Jak looked around, putting the paper in his pocket. "The hit man was last spotted here, moving from the east. That was around four minutes ago. I think we can catch up to him if we go west" he said, suddenly running. Daxter groaned, not knowing what to clutch tighter, Jak's shoulder or his own head.

He was running, the rain cooling down his aching limbs. Jak was keeping an eye out for any suspicious behaviour, but so far he found none. He was just running in one direction, with no idea who he is actually searching for. He looked up at the sky, praying to the precursors for a miracle to happen.

"JAK!" Daxter shouted. "Jak, please... Stop now... I want off..."

Jak stopped and Daxter instantly jumped off. The Ottsel ran towards a bin where he emptied the contents of his stomach. Jak wrinkled his nose in disgust, shaking his head at Daxter as he threw up into the bin.

"Some miracle..." Jak muttered. "Precursors must have some sense of humour..."

Daxter turned around, facing Jak with a vacant look on his face. "Jak, buddy..." he said, closing his eyes tight. "Ya got any gum, breath mints, anything?"

Jak reached into his pocket, taking out a packet of bubblegum before throwing it towards Daxter. The Ottsel caught it, giving Jak a grateful look as he popped in two sticks of gum in his mouth. Daxter's eyes suddenly widened as he pointed behind Jak. Jak turned around, a sudden weight dropped on his shoulder as Daxter quickly mounted. Jak looked up, seeing someone jump a gap between two buildings. It was a man as he was shirtless, his white cargo shorts fluttering in the wind. He wore red running shoes, and his dark skin glistened from the rain. On his face he wore a mask.

They found him.

"Hold on Dax!" Jak said as he ran at full speed. He turned into an alleyway and chimney jumped between the walls. Jak grabbed the ledge at the top of the building, clambering up onto the rooftop. There was a taller building near him, so he made a run towards it, jumping across a gap to grab the drainpipe on the building wall. He scaled up the wall, raising himself to the higher part of the rooftops. Now he was higher Jak could see farther.

"There he is!" Daxter pointed to his left. Jak spotted the dark skinned man traverse up a drainpipe to gain height. Jak started running towards him, jumping between gaps in the buildings to catch up. He took out his gun, aiming it towards the masked man. He fired a shot at him, hitting him in the head. The man fell to the floor.

Jak leaped across the final break to be on the same rooftop as the assassin. Jak approached the man with caution. He initially fired a shot to kill, but instead he shot off the man's mask. The assassin lay unconscious on the floor, limp and cold with blood on his temple where shrapnel rebounded off his mask. Daxter took out a beacon and pressed the button, where sirens could be heard soon after.

"That was easy" Daxter piped.

All of a sudden Jak found himself on the floor. The assassin picked himself up and launched himself at Jak. The dark toned man threw a few punches at the young man, knocking the wind out of him. Jak returned a sweeping kick to his side before hooking his leg to his neck, throwing him down. The hit man, however, rebounded and kicked Jak's legs. The blonde buckled to the floor before he was suddenly thrown down by the assassin. Jak couldn't breathe as the assassin kicked him in the side, feeling a wave of pain shoot through his body.

Daxter panicked as he watched the assassin lift up Jak, locking his neck into his arms. He squeezed tighter. Jak couldn't breathe, and he felt his neck click a few times from the man's excruciating grip. He tried to wriggle free, but Jak soon felt the energy sapping out of him. He felt weaker and weaker, trying to force air into his lungs. He started to see colourful spots in front of his eyes, the dizziness soon forcing Jak to close them.

Daxter looked around, desperate for ideas to save Jak. He spotted Jak's gun on the floor where it had been knocked out of his hands in the fray. The Ottsel grabbed it, cocked it and aimed it at the assassin.

He pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang, the kick of the gun sending Daxter off the building. Daxter grabbed hold of the edge of the balcony fence, saving himself from a nasty fall. He clambered back up, seeing Jak breathe in gasps of life giving air. Jak rolled onto his back, coughing violently and clutching his neck. Daxter scanned the area around them, searching for the assassin.

"Hey, Jak" the concerned Ottsel yelled. "Jak, ya okay buddy?"

Jak's coughing fit finally subsided, but he remained on the floor as he tried to regain his strength. "Peachy..." he muttered.

The sirens were incredibly loud as the guard finally reached them. They looked around quizzically.

"So, where is he?" a Special Force guard questioned. Jak raised his hand wearily, the guard taking hold of it to help him up. "Did you catch him?"

"We thought the assassin was unconscious on the floor. Turns out he wasn't and tricked us" Jak filled in. "I was in trouble until Daxter shot him. He rolled off me and fell over the edge"

Daxter and the guards peered over the border of the rooftop, seeing a body on the streets a few storeys down. Daxter instantly looked away from the broken body, limbs broken and bending in grotesque positions. A guard shook his head, muttering to himself about how he couldn't survive a fall from this height.

"Another one bites the dust" said one guard to the other.

Jak took a deep breath, calming his nerves from the strangulation the assassin had attempted on him. His heartbeat started to finally slow down as the adrenaline had worn out. Rain water cooled his overheated body, numbing out the pain from his side. He touched his waist, feeling a painful bruise developing near his stomach.

"Two down..." Jak sighed to himself. "Five to go"

- - -

**WOOT! Another chapter done! I quite enjoyed writing that. At the bit where Sian is talking to Jak, I can always imagine him as the sort that would just listen. In situations like that Jak doesn't put in much verbal input. I see him more of an "action" than a "verbal" person. Daxter has the job of talking... not Jak XD**

**I can also imagine Jak as a lover of flaming bamzookas. I tried them at a fresher's party... and they are just vile! I hated the taste! But I just love the process of slamming them, it's great fun and it looks pretty cool :D**

**I am of legal age btw, just to let you know XD **

**Anyway tell me what you think in a review, and don't forget that I am open to suggestions!**

**Oh yeah, and I have a question to ask... would you like an active shipment for Jak in this fic? If so, who with? Keira? Ashelin? One of the women in Albyra city? None? Tell me :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Yay! Next chapter! I AM ON A ROLE!**

**Please don't hesitate to crit this fic, because I know for a fact that there is plenty of room for improvement. Anyway, I am gonna power write this fic, because yet again there are so many ideas building up and I just can't type them up fast enough. C'MON C'MON C'MON GET TO THE GOOD BITS ALREADY!**

**MURDER RADIO: THE FRAY – YOU FOUND ME**

- - -

Chapter 5

Jak's communicator beeped, waking him up from his slumber. It was still dark; the clock on the wall opposite Jak indicated that it was five in the morning. He huffed, rubbing his eyes with one hand while the other reached out towards the communicator. He answered it, sitting up groggily.

"Hello..." he whispered, trying to avoid waking up Daxter.

"Hi, it's Sian" came the other voice. She sounded tired. "I'm so sorry if I woke you up"

"No worries..." Jak lied as he lay back on the bed. "Uh... Why so early though?"

"I'm so sorry, Jak... I'm still on my night shift at the office" she explained. "And with the shortage of staff, I just won't be able to make it home for another few hours..."

Jak rubbed his eye's again, grunting in acknowledgement. "Okay..." he muttered.

"Oh my God... and it's my housemaid's day off as well... ummm" she jittered nervously. "Look, I know it's wrong to ask such a favour from you, but could you drop and pick up Nelly from school today? I have a schedule for my housemaid to follow on the fridge door. Read that so you know what time to drop her off and pick her up"

Jak felt a little displeased at the sudden babysitting job, but accepted it nevertheless out of politeness. "Yeah... yeah sure..." he grumbled. "I'll do that... Uh... When are you coming back home then?"

"I'll be back at eight... I'm so sorry- " she cut off abruptly, a grunt and string of curse resounded from the other side. Sian then cried out in frustration.

Jak could hear a flurry of papers, and a machine started roaring in the background. "You okay?" he asked, a little bit more alert. He could hear more pieces of paper being ruffled, followed by a small bang. The machine sound ceased. He heard Sian sigh in relief after wards.

"Sorry about that" she huffed. Sian sounded a little out of breath. "The photocopier just vomited a load of documents on me... Ugh... is that blood?"

Jak's eyebrow suddenly rose. "Blood?"

"Uh... yeah..." she stalled. "Paper cut... Nelly isn't going to like it... Ah damn, I used the last band aid on you..."

"Oh, sorry about that" Jak laughed, raising his hand to inspect the band aid on his wrist with the glow of the communicator. He felt a little smug about it. Jak established to himself that he was a little bit of a sadist, but who aren't these days?

"Oh, don't worry... I found another one" she laughed in return. "In the fridge there is some food readymade. Just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes. Nelly usually eats a yogurt pot for breakfast..."

"Sure-"

"Well... actually she doesn't eat the pot itself, just the yogurt... inside the pot..." she started rambling, going off topic. She paused for a deep breath. Jak smirked.

"I can tell you're tired" he mused, shutting his eyes.

"Yeah... obvious isn't it... You must be tired too. I'm so sorry, but thank you for the-"

The communicator cut off, leaving Jak in puzzlement as he heard a robotic '_your_ _call has ended' _on the line. Jak tossed the communicator on the floor. He reached out for the alarm clock next to him and set it. He plopped back on his bed and succumbs back into his slumber.

'_Bothersome woman...'_ he sighed.

- - -

Nelly certainly was a bit of a handful. Jak wished she would be more like his younger self back when he met him at seventeen years old. Quiet, shy, and did what he was told. Nelly was loud, constantly running around and always asking them numerous questions.

"Is your beard thingy dead?" Nelly posed as she pointed at Jak's goatee. Daxter laughed noisily, nearly falling off Jak's shoulder.

"W-what?" he exclaimed, a little thrown back at the surprising question. He subconsciously stroked his goatee, trying to figure out what this girl was trying to say.

"I think she is trying to say whether your facial fuzz is dyed that colour" Daxter gasped through his laughing fit. Jak smirked at the vocabulary Nelly was using out of context.

"Nah... It's naturally like that" he simply stated. "My hair colour is starting to turn blonde as I'm getting older. You can kinda see it on my roots if I lift up my goggles"

"Green is a well mingin' colour!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms as she walked. "Mummy hates the colour green. She laughed about it to Lucas"

Jak suddenly felt a little bit self conscious about it, but it was soon short lived when they finally reached the gates to Nelly's school. She ran in, waving goodbye to Jak before screaming a gleeful farewell to the Ottsel on Jak's shoulder.

"Back to work..." Jak stated as they went towards the Council building. Jak needed to clear up a few issues and queries regarding their undercover mission for tomorrow's party. He also needs to find out why these assassins are killing off members of the city Parliament.

- - -

"Because they are terrorists" Alza stated, walking to her chair in her office. "Their motives are to probably overthrow the governing members. We suspect that another party has been hiring these assassins to kill off our current council members so they can take their place. We are just trying to figure out who is that desperate to rule Albyra"

"Any leads at all?" Jak asked. "We could spy on the suspects. You know, to try and catch any suspicious behaviour"

"Um..." Alza paused before ruffling through a few of her documents. She searched through multiple filing cabinets with a puzzled expression. "I had a small case study about a suspected assassin which is thought to be the leader..."

Alza walked back to her desk, checking through her drawers. She looked back up at Jak. "I'm sorry" she apologised. "My personal assistant isn't very organised... Ah, here it is... What's it doing in here then...?"

She handed over the small case study to Jak. Daxter snatched it and began looking through the pages.

"We think the person in that case study is an assassin. We also think this person is the leader of the organisation" she sat back down behind her desk, picking up her cup of tea. "We want you to try and catch this person. But make sure they are alive, we need to do some interrogation and try and find their motives. Catch the leader, then many questions will be answered"

- - -

"Ha! Look at this hobo!" Daxter exclaimed as he picked out a page from the case study. Jak and Daxter were sprawled over the marble floor of their bedroom. The marble tiles were surprisingly warm, thanks to Sian's heated floors in her modern apartment.

"Dude looks like some sort of pussy!"

Jak peered over to see who Daxter was talking about. It was the suspected leader of the assassins. He was a middle aged man. His face was long and narrow with large lips and long eyelashes. Upon first impression he thought he was probably a cross dresser or had some sort of sex change due to his overly feminine appearance.

"Pah, this page even smells like a sissy" the Ottsel sniffed the page. "Phleh... Lavender..."

Jak laughed at the orange fuzz ball. "If you haven't noticed, this whole house smells of Lavender. I thought you would have gotten used to it by now" he commented. "Though I ain't keen on the aroma too..."

Daxter smirked, closing the files noisily. The Ottsel looked at the clock lazily as he rolled his back on the floor. The house is cold as ice, and both boys usually take advantage of the heated floors as soon as the central heating kicks in.

"It's eight thirty man..." Daxter groaned irritably. "When is that British fruitcake gonna be here? I wanna stop babysittin' and go to the bar!"

"Speak of the devil..." Jak commented as he heard the front door close. He heard Sian call out for Nelly before yelling a greeting to her lodgers. Daxter leaped into the air, pleased that they can finally go and have a good few drinks. Jak gathered up all of the documents and files and put them in their designated hiding place inside his suitcase.

This wasn't his usual style of work. These sets of missions were mostly reading and researching about the assassins, then going out to find and catch them. This method was different back home, where he is told what to retrieve and who to meet, and then proceed to complete the mission with as much gunfire as possible. Jak had a new gun, but he still itched to use it at its full potential. The gun was a master piece, with a beautiful yet deadly design and mechanics. Jak just wanted to complete his mission in Albyra as soon as possible so he can use the new weapon for his much more suited lifestyle back in Haven and Spargus.

There was a knock at their bedroom door. Daxter answered it, greeting Sian as she entered the room. Jak shifted uncomfortably, sliding his suitcase further underneath his bed.

"Hi" she said, putting down two cups of tea on a bedside table. "Thanks for looking after Nelly. It has been hectic at the office... Running around and stuff..."

Jak nodded, holding his own cup and taking a sip. He internally grimaced at the taste and put the hot beverage back down on the table. Jak reminded to himself as to the reason why he prefers coffee over tea.

"Yeah, no problem toots" Daxter chirped. The Ottsel guzzled down his drink, actually not minding the taste, before starting on Jak's abandoned mug. "Me and Jak are gonna go to the bar now. Is there one nearby?"

"Hum... yeah..." Sian paused, looking across her shoulder in thought. "The nearest pub is only two streets down. It's called the Glass House I think. Pretty hard to miss"

She walked out of the room as she heard Nelly call out to her, exclaiming about what has happened in school today and how Jak's hair colour has 'magically' changed colour. Jak smirked to himself as Nelly kept on rambling loudly to Sian, her voice high pitched in glee. He liked the kid. He had to give her credit for her exceedingly cute habits and ways.

Jak also heard Sian reply to Nelly in a similar sort of way. High pitched and upbeat. But Jak could sense the underlying pretence to her words, pretending that the most amazing thing in the world was whatever had come out of Nelly's mouth.

She sounded patronising. Not really the way that others would speak to a young child.

Upon Jak's first impression, he thought Sian was a pleasant and buoyant character. Now, he is not so sure. He doesn't really know what this woman is truly like. Jak looked at her through the doorway, furrowing his brows and crossing his arms. He watched her as she moved around the living room, playing a game of tag with Nelly. He noticed that Sian manoeuvred swiftly between the furniture, snaking her way toward Nelly with ease. When she was close, she would fall back and pretend to grab her, grazing Nelly's torso with her fingertips.

Sian then slumped on the sofa, apparently exhausted from Nelly's child play. The little girl approached Sian, poking her with a cautious finger. Sian jumped up, grabbing Nelly in surprise, and tickled the little girl.

"Okay you had your fun," Sian sighed. "I think it is bedtime now, sweetheart."

"Five more minutes?" Nelly whined as she jumped up and down in defiance.

"No, Nelly" she said as she nudged the defeated toddler towards the bedroom. "The maid will help you get ready."

Sian crouched down as she gently pushed Nelly into another room. Just before she disappeared round the corner Jak caught Sian's eye. This brief exchange of glances was cut off as the door closed behind her.

Jak breathed in uneasily. He has seen that look before. The way how she stared at him with partially lidded eyes was all too familiar. Her brows were kitted together slightly, and there were small creases on her forehead. He had seen that look before.

He has seen it on Torn whenever he was formulating a plan, ageing maps sprawled on a table in front of him.

He has seen it on Keira whenever she tinkered with her machines, figuring out how she can upgrade them and make the machines better.

He had seen it on his own reflection whenever he caught a glimpse of himself in shattered glass, in broken mirrors, in sharpened knives and in Metal Head armour.

Sian had a calculating eye. She was planning something, and the way that she had glanced at him made Jak concerned. Jak didn't like it, because whatever she was thinking it seemed like she was formulating a plan.

Jak did not like it at all.


End file.
